Never before in the history of the Nephites had such extreme measures been taken to guard the lives of the people. Notice that Lachoneus was willing to sacrifice land, cities, standing crops and farm equipment in order to save the lives of his people. Lachoneus assigned the leadership and military training to the finest Nephite commander named Gidgiddoni. The armies were disciplined and prepared for all-out war and hand-to-hand combat.